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C. C. RUSSELL. swELL ron AuToMAnc onGANs.

APPLICATION FILED APR.5, |920. Patented 13,

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, BY Zar C @@5625 IY/,SA TTORNEYS instrument.

.PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. RUSSELL, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWELL FOB AUTOMATIC ORG-AN S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

Application led April 5, 1920. Serial No. 371,282.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be 1t known that I, CHARLES C. RUSSELL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swells for Automatic Organs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the .accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide 1n an automatic organ or like instrument which is oper-ated automatically for musical sound production, improved means for modulating or modifying the intensity or volume of musical sound delivered by the features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammaticv View of a structure embodying this invention presenting parts of two opposite walls,as front and rear,-of the casing as if folded out into vthe plane of the intermediate wall, which is the plane of theview, showing in interior elevation the sound-emergence shutters which characterize this invention with their operating means and control-connections with the tracker board; and the pneumatically operated playing devices.

Fig. 2 is a detail section at the line, 2 2, on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail section at the line, 3 3 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a modification of the means for controlling the sound exit apertures.

F Fig 5 is a section at theline, 5-5, on

In 'the structure shown in the drawings 1 is a wall of casing inclosing the various parts of anrautomatic reed organ, said parts being shown y diagrammatically or. conventionally without attempt to indicate their structure in detail, that detail structure being no part of the present invention. As thus shown in general or conventional manner, 2 is the organ reed chamber whose valves are automatically controlled by motor pneumatics, 3, of a ypneumatic action of which the primary pneumatic action or exhaust air chamber is seen at 4. 5 is the main air receiver or exhaust air chamber with a It consists in the elements and tension-retaining bellows, 6, from which the A air is exhausted by a pumper, 7, operated by a` motor, 8. Exhaust air trunks, 9, lead from the exhaust air chamber or receiver, 5, to the pneumatic action chambers, 4. An air trunk, 10, leads to the organ reed chamber, 2. 11 is the tracker board over which a perforated note sheet, 12, travels for controllingy the pneumatic devices which operate the reed valves for selecting the notes to be sounded. The entire mechanism above described being inclosed within a casing, of which one walls is indicated at 1, the cavity of said casing, or the portion thereof in which the organ reed chamber and controlling valves thereof are situated becomes a sound chamber,-that is, the chamber in which the sound produced by the air passing through the reeds is originated or first becomes audible. The degree to which this sound is audible outside of the casing is to a large extent dependent upon the opportunity afforded foremergence of the sound waves; and such emergence is provided for in removable panels, 15 and 16, respectively atthe front and rear of the casing in each of which there are a multiplicity of sound apertures, 15a, 16a, which are controlled by shutter devices, 17, 18, mounted upon the panels, 15 and 16, at the inner side thereof and adapted to be moved transversely of the apertures for closing them and opening them. Each of the shutters is provided with a retracting spring, 20, operating for holding the shutters normally at open position to permit the maximum emergence of the sound waves from the sound chamber. From each shutter an operating stud or finger, 21, projects inward in position to be encountered by a finger, 22, projecting rigidly from the moving wall, 23, of a motor pneumatic, 24, said motor pneumatics, 24, 24, being controlled in a well understood manner by primary pneumatics, not shown but contained in the vacuum chambers 4b of the collapsed whenever an aperture in the note sheet passes over and thereby uncovers the mouth'of the tracker duct corresponding to the respective motor pneumatic. The collapse 'of the motor pneumatic which results from its being put into communication with the exhaust air chamber by the action of the primary pneumatic controlled by the note sheet and tracker duct as stated, causes its nger, 22, to encounter the projecting stud,V

21,-/ of the shutter with which it coperates and moves the shutter in directionfor clos- ;ing the latter, and thereby restricting the 'emergence of sound through the sound exits, 15a or 163.

1t will beseen that .at normal position,- that'is, in the absence of any actuation of the motor pneumatics, 24, the vmaximum emergence of sound will occur, that is, `the instrument-will be heard to play with maximum loudness; and that upon registration of a note sheet aperture with one of the tracker ducts, 28 or 29, forcontrollingone of the motor pneumatics, one of the shutters being closed, the sound emergence willbe diminished; and that upon' the registration of apertures of the note sheet simultaneously with both the corresponding ducts, 28 and 29, of the tracker, controlling the two motor 'p'neumatics 24, 24, both said pneumatics being operated and both the shutters Vmoved to closed position, the emergence of sound will be reduced to the limit of control which can be effected bythe shutters,-that is, the playing will be heard in the softest tone. Preferablyl one set of apertures,that is, those in either the front or the rearl panel,

Vit is immaterial whichfeare in the aggregate greater than those in the other panel,

`so thatthe closing Vof one of the shutters will diminish the sound more than the closing of the other shutter. By this means four degrees of sound volume may be produced by the instrument,first, the maximum which will be heard when both shutters are open; second, theV volume which will result from the closing Vof the shutter controlling the lesser or smaller number 'of apertures; third, al volume which will result from ciosing the shutter controllingV the larger or larger number of apertures, and fourth, the minimumf soundV which Ywill result from closing both shutters.

In Fig. 4 are shown means for producing a greater number of degreesof modification of the tone yvolume than can Vbe produced by the two shutters controlling different areas of exit apertures as above' described.

vIn this modified construction a single setof sound apertures, 15X, may be controlled by single shutter, 31,'which is operated by Ymotor pneumatic devices adapted to giveV it stepLby-,step movement for closingitmore "orfless, and nrequiring any'desired number of steps to completely close it. Y This step-byi step operating mechanism may be of itself of familiar form, variety of step-by-step adjustments in automatic musical instruments.

As illustrated, this step-by-step mechanism consists of two motor pneumatics, 30, 30, connected respectively for control Vby two tracker ducts, in turn controlled by note sheet perforations, each of said pneumatics being connected for operating a feed pawl, one of said feed pawls, l32, engaging a rack bar, 33, for feeding the shutter in kone `directionwhile the other .feedpawh 84, engagesa rackbar, 35, for ,feeding the yshutter in'xthe opposite direction, eachA collapse and-inflation of the motor pneumatic giving one stepfeed movement to the rack bar andthereby to the shutter. rThe note sheets for controlling this feed device will have` in the line controlling the respective tracker ducts as many apertures, in quick succession asthe number of stepsof closing or opening lmovement to be given'to theshutter, the shutter in this form of device being without any controlling spring and being adapted to hold the position to which it is moved by each step movement. The pawls, 32 and 34, areretractedas shown, over a pin 38, which withdraws them 'from engagement with the rack bar at the limit ofthe .retracting stroke so that thepawl thus retracted is 'notu'in a position to preventthe` actuation'of the rack .barin oppositedirection by the other pneumatic.

y A friction spring, 37, operating upon the shutter' prevents it from moving such as is employed for a accidentally or by jarring of the casingv either of the feed'pawls. Y

rt will be observed v(see Fig. 5) that `in both of the constructions .shown the panel or panels havingthe sound exit apertures and carrying the shutters are removable by outward movement, which withdrawsthe lpart on the shutter which is engaged or en- Yfrom the position to which'it is moved by countered for operation by the cooperating 'means for variably closing said exits res'pectivelyV ,L motor pneumaticsV inthe casing v and connections therefrom respectively 'for voperating saidseparatef shutters, and separate note-sheet#controlledfducts Yini the tracker Yfor y'controlling' said. l'inotor pneuinatics AreisoY spectiirely; whereby the sound emergence to the lesser or to the greater or to sum of may be varied by being limited to either or said sound exits. both of said exits. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 10 2. In the structure defined in claim 1, set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this first 5 foregoing, said separate sound exits being of day of April, 1920.

different areas, whereby the sound emer- Y gence may be varied by being limited either CHAS. C. RUSSELL. 

